Composting rockwool? Deactivating ToBRFV? Tell me more…
Walker Industries has developed a method to process and recycle spent rockwool slabs, turning it into a bulk agent for soil blends. This is a true win for a more sustainable approach to greenhouse waste disposal.
Concerns over the survivability and transmission of ToBRFV led to a study evaluating the GORE systems’ ability to inactivate this virus. Walker Industries, in partnership with Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG), conducted trials through a project supported through the Greenhouse Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative, a cost share program funded by the Ontario Government and delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council, on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
Currently, greenhouse waste in Ontario is being landfilled over concerns of spreading this plant pathogen. However, Walker’s results demonstrate that greenhouse waste infected with ToBRFV can be safely composted and diverted from landfill, potentially resulting in more than 35,000 MT of compostable waste being recovered and reused.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please join Walker and OGVG for a lunch and learn and open house. Walker will be showcasing their processing equipment and GORE composting facility.
Lunch and Learn
When: November 28th from 12-1 pm
Where: OGVG office in Leamington – lunch provided
RSVP to Niki Bennett by November 25th
Walker Open House and Site Tour
When: December 6th 1-4 pm in Arthur, Ontario
Where: Walker’s All Treat Farms Composting Facility located at 7963 Wellington Country Road 109 in Arthur, Ontario
RSVP to here by November 30th
Hope to see you there!